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Tuesday, May 13, 2014

It's time to Rejuicenate!

Being a foodie is a tough job.

With the wide-variety of food available and the opportunity to eat to our heart's content, I'd say, we're lucky to live in a world where achieving gastronomic satisfaction is indeed possible and for some, it happens quite often too. I'd say though that as one bids goodbye to his/her wonderful twenties and slowly enters his/her 30s, 40s and even 50s, there's that great need to be more mature and responsible about the things we put in our mouth. Beyond being fit and good-looking, there's also our blood chemistry, the rise and fall of one's cholesterol and sugar levels and a lot more. I'll be honest, two years back I was at my heaviest and definitely not at my healthiest. It was hard to say no to all the food tastings coming my way. A lot of them really made me swoon and jump with glee as they were just so delicious. All day and night, I think of food.

Then, I woke up and realized, it was time to push that RESET button. "Enough." I told my food-loving self. No, I'm not turning my back on food as it's something that makes me happy but I'll be smarter. Choosing the better stuff, moving and exercising more and filling myself with all the right nutrients to give my body a healthy boost. I still have a long way to go but as they say, the first step is the hardest and moving to a new environment was just that perfect push to make me take that first step (literally and figuratively).

So, during one of my conversations with my dear friend I, we began talking about juicing. Since we're both extremely busy with work, we figured out that it won't hurt to jump start our day with a good mix of fruits and veggies. Of course, we're no experts so we wondered if there was actually a juicing company here in Singapore as the ones we know are those in Manila.

What perfect timing that I was invited to a media meet and greet with the folks behinds Rejuicenate. Launched in Singapore in January 2014, what makes Rejuicenate unique is the presence of a chef behind it. So you're not only getting a healthy drink but definitely one that pleases the palate too. All the ingredients used in the juices are organic which I think is just perfect. This is really important during the cleansing program as the juice mixes that you'll drink are the only ones your body will have for the entire day and imagine the horror of feeding yourself chemicals and whatnots. That would really contradict the purpose of cleansing, right?

We had a sneak peek on how Rejuicenate juices are made. With the help of this ultra powerful Norwalk Cold Press machine, Chef Chris Remaley was able to squeeze our fresh beet juice. After this, we were allowed to touch the remaining pulp and boy it was left extremely dry which means all the nutrients and juice goes into your bottle and not to waste.

The leftover (dry) pulp

We then had the chance to try two of their juice mixes -- the Spicy Lemonade and the Coconut H20. I am a fan of the Spicy Lemonade even back when I had my juice cleanse in Manila. I just love the spicy kick that you'd get after tasting the sour notes. It's such an interesting flavor and a delicious one too. Now, who ever said that detox is a sad thing to do? The Coconut H20 was very refreshing and we all know the wonderful cleansing benefits that coconut water/juice can give.

Ready to Cleanse?

For those who have never cleanse before, let me be the first to tell you that it's not all that hard. For as long as you prepare your body days before the cleanse, you'll be fine. By that I meant, no eat-all-you-can feasting the night before you start your cleanse okay? Throughout the day, you're given instructions on which bottle to drink first and you will be drinking every 2 hours. I used to lock myself in the room on my first day as it will definitely be the most challenging but on Days 2 and 3, you'll be able to carry on just fine, trust me.

Now, what are the side effects. Since you'll be drinking a lot of liquid on these days, expect to visit the toilet a little bit more (to p** in case you're thinking of something else). I remembered feeling a bit sleepy on my first day perhaps because my body wasn't use to not having food for the entire day so it lacks the energy to stay up all day. That's fine though, I like scheduling the start of my cleanse on a Saturday as I can just stay home and away from all temptations.

Rejuicenate has 3 types of Cleanse Programmes and you can choose if you want to take it for 3 days or 5 days:

1) Rejuicenation Cleanse (3 days: S$320 / 5 days: 500) is the most basic perfect for all cleansing newbies. Here you'll get a good mix of juice flavors from the fruity ones to those with more veggies.

2) Foundation Cleanse (3 days : S$330 / 5 days: S$515) has more vegetable-based juices including one that Chef Chris specially created for his wife Bowie called Bowie's Brew which includes kale, cucumber, celery, grapefruit, pear, parsley and spirulina.

3) Elimination Cleanse (3 days: S$340 / 5 days: S$530) is for the experienced cleanser who wants a mix of vegetable and fruit detox. There are still more vegetable-based juices in this package but you also get 5 juice varieties as well.

I really am a juice cleanse convert and fan and I can't wait to try one here in Singapore. I highly recommend going for any of these 3 to 5 day programmes but for those who wants to supplement their daily diet with juice, you can try the 1-day cleanse (S$60 - S$90) too.

This 2014 let's take better care of our health. It's time to hit that RESET button and cleanse your body NOW.